Knife for an Army Combat Medic?

I would recommend rescue hook Benchmade 7 or 8 and a full size Griptilion 551. That would be the most used combo I could think of. If you want to go fixed blade Bark River Bravo - 1 or Chris Reeve Aviator, and the rescue hook.
 
Thanks for the thoughtful and insightful responses guys. :)

Midlife Crisis said:
It sounds like what's "practical" and what he likes about the knives in your collection might be two different things. Just a thought....
Click to expand...

That is exactly what I am finding so challenging about this. Should I get him what he needs, what he wants or try to find a something in between? :confused:

From a purely practical standpoint, he'll use EMT shears and a Gerber tool for most stuff. I don't believe I've ever seen an Army compression bandage opened with anything other than teeth. I'm sure Uncle Sam will provide the shears, and other tools. Gabe has carried a set of MultiPliers as long as I've known him, and he has a Gerber Shortcut that I gave to all the guys who worked with me on a project. That is the extent of his cutlery collection afaik.

I guess I'm not really expecting to get him something that he needs to do his job and come home in one piece. I'd kinda like to get him something that he would enjoy having, would be allowed to carry, might find handy on occassion, and that would remind him of some folks back home that care about him and appreciate what he's doing. Not hard at all, eh? :rolleyes:

I appreciate those of you who reminded me there would be unit regs. about "personal weapons". We had those in my unit, too. They were largely ignored, but I don't want to have to count on the same lax enforcement for my friend.

Thanks again, everyone! Keep the thoughts, notions and ideas coming! :thumbup:
 
MacHete-Maybe a nice Benchmade folder,relatively discreet clipped into a pocket;but good quality and with 'cool' factor.
 
I have to agree with leebrewer. A family member (next generation) is in the Indiana state police: she uses a knife to help get people out of wrecked vehicles and out of their clothes. Sounds like Iraq. There are plenty of folders designed for this. Pick a cheaper one but not a junker and buy two. No regrets if one is lost or destroyed, no temptation to do something dumb retrieving a really great knife.
 
I posted earlier about Khukuris and wanted to mention something else. Check out the SOG Hunter Revolver It has a 5" Blade with Gut hook which is probably great for cutting fabric. Also the tang revolves to become a 5" saw. Rather cool IMO. If he even had to make improvised splints the saw might come in handy. The Hunter Revolver, a Multi-tool and Khukuri would be a great combo. ;)

Heber
 
Hi, I was in USMC Force Recon. I spent a lot of time outside doin what we did. It sounds as though your thinking he's just gonna be in a mech unit. That can change in a heartbeat.
HI has a great little knife called the R-10 I carry one daily, it is great for all regular tasks. Attached to my pack if not on my belt is my HI M-43, which I heartily reccomend, although a BAS is als a great smaller blade and will still do the job. Either the R-10 or a kuk would be great; both would be best. In theater any troop soon learns to leave beans in favor of ammo and steel.
 
Remember our young medic expressed a desire for a zombie slayer. A 15" BAS or Sirupati weighs about 1.5 lbs & isn't hard to stash in a ruck if the brass gets the vapors about a big mean blade.
Uplander
 
My daughter- in- law is getting deployed as a medic next year to Iraq. I plan to give her my Simonich Urban Raven.
 
A Medic'll be carrying a lot of gear, and have to move fast.

If you "have" to have a fixed blade, I suggest a Gerber ASEK. I think an even better suggestion will probably be a WAVED Spyderco Endura and an On Scene/Tactical Speed Dialer. This will give a compact, instantly available tool that doesn't take up much room on IBA (the Speed Dialer works great zip-tied onto IBA). The Endura can also be taken out of the sheath and slipped into a pocket when not geared up.

Don't forget to get him one of these while you're at it.

John
 
I know this is the HI forum and he's interested in a Khuk, but unless he's going to a forested/jungle environment, I don't think that's his best choice.

I know you didn't want a lot of Busse responses, but the Mini Sus Scrofa is a sort of hybrid between a hawkbill and a Wharncliffe. According to reports, it's popular with helicopter aircrews, and I believe it would be a great choice for him. It's not a stabbie-knife, but will cut lines, belts, or cloth exceptionally -- which are exactly the kinds of things a rescuer might need to do. The closest thing in the HI inventory is the Burra Gool, it's a small straight Wharncliffe; it's a very good knife (I have 3), but if money's not an issue, I think the best possible cutting tool for him would be a Sus Scrofa (they're still in the Busse Company store, but no longer on the main site).

I know you're looking for a fixed-blade, but if you go folder (which is probably more practical), I'd recommend a light, flat (so that it rides well in the pocket), one-hand opening model. I like assisted opening folders, and am almost never without my G10-handled s30v Kershaw leek (1660G10ST); I don't care for slick-sided leeks, and would only recommend textured G10 handles. The leek has a thin blade -- it's not a prybar, but will slice as well as anything else I own. for day-to-day cutting activities, it's all I use.

Back to the hawkbill style, which I think would do well for a medic, I also own and like the Spyderco Tasman Salt -- I prefer the bright yellow FRN handles to the black ones because they're less likely to be misplaced. The blade is H1 steel, which will not rust; they replace carbon with nitrogen when making the steel -- it's designed for salt water environments. Look into what civilian first responders carry; that'll probably be a good guide.
 
Whew!

Thank you all again for your well-reasoned suggestions. I am especially grateful because I recently received a barrage of considerably less well informed opinions from folks at work.

I decided to let my coworkers in on my plan to get Gabe a knife, and give them the opportunity to kick in a few bucks if they felt so inclined. I was very pleased with the interest level. I was not so pleased with the information level. :rolleyes:

It has been graphically reaffirmed to me that "non-knife" people:

A) Have no idea what a decent knife costs.
B) Tend to believe that the one knife they know about is 'a really good knife'.
C) Think that QVC or HSN are good places to look for cutlery.

I have, however, managed to persuade them to trust my judgement for the final selection. :D

I really would like to get him a fixed blade- just because the folder job is pretty easy to fill, if he hasn't already. I'm still trying to find someone in his unit to talk to. I know that asking the CO would just get me regurgitated regulations, so I want to try to find his Company First Seargent. (You know, the one who's really in charge.) ;)

I'm really kinda overwhelmed by all your guys thoughts. Lots of really good ideas that I'm sure would work well.

I'm going to accept contributions from folks at work until the middle of July, and then I'll have a better budget picture. I want to have something picked in time to make any mods that be necessary before he might have to leave home station.

Thanks again everyone! I'll let you know how things are progressing. :thumbup:
 
Get him either a Pen knife of a 12 AK (you will probably need to sand the handle a bit, in my case it took me half an hour)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top